Load discharging car



A ril 16, 1940. A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING CAR Filed Nov. 8, 1937 4 Sheeizs-Sheet 1 lNVEN ARGYLECAM/MZL BY I fi y j 11% Hls ATmR/vEY April 16, 1940. A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING CAR Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 8, 1957 H/s ATTORNEY April 16, 1940.

A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING CAR 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 8, 1957 /N VEN 70R wullllkuvlllLwl/l GYLE' CAMPBELL H/S ATTORNEY April 16,1940.

A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING CAR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. 8,1937

//vv/\/roR AEGYLE C'AMPBELL BY HIS ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16, 1940' UNITED STATES .armr @FFlC E ApplicationNovember 8, 1937, Serial'No. 173,369

5- Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in load discharging cars of the typeadapted to have doors in the floor for/the discharge of the load by gravity. n

An object of my invention is to provide an improved car of the type having hinged dumping doors adapted to be raisedto closed position and supported in; closed and opened position by means of winding mechanisms located above the level of the doors. I

Another object of my invention is to provide improved car construction adapted to be usedin combination with improved door operating mech: anisms for the purpose of. strengthening the car structure while economizingin dead weight.

Another further object of my improvements is toprovide an improved operating mechanism of the self-locking linkage type which is composed of few parts and is located so as to oiTer no restriction to the discharge of ladingwhen the doors are in openposition. 1

A still further object ofimy invention is to provide door operating'mechanism of the self-locking linkage type which isplaced directly above the lower chord of a car side wall andvis capable or supporting the doors in openedposition with-. out interference withthe said lower chord,

A more specific object of my invention is to provide an improved mechanism and door structure which will permit of supporting the doors at'the respective side edges thereof and to provide means for adjusting the length of the door connections. g

My invention also resides in'the means provided for housing the door linkage mechanisms and in the particular manner in which such housings are incorporated in the car structure to obtaingrea't structural strength. f

Theseand other improvements Will be apparent by reference to the following description and the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal view in elevation of approximately one-half the length'of a so-called general service carincorporating my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of that-part of the car illustrated in Fig. l, the upper half of the figure-f being a full plan view and the lower half being in section as taken substantially on the line 2- of'Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view on .an enlarged scale taken through .the lower. part .of the .car body substantially :on the line '33 (or. 1 o5--291) .orFig. 1, said view showing the mechanism hous- .ing with theside'wall removed;

'.Fig 4 is avertical elevational view of a portion of the side .of the car illustrating the structure shown in Fig. 3, said view showing so much of I .the .car as necessary to illustratethe construction at the middle of the car'where the respective operating shafts on one side of the car terminate;

Fig. 5 is a vertical side view in elevation of the lower partof the car body on an enlarged scale and illustrating that part of the car structure extending from one of the body bolsters to the end of the car; and l Fig. 6 is a fragmentary end view of the structure illustrated in l ig.'5 as viewed from right to left, said'view illustrating the shaft locking and rotating means. I

My improvements are shown as applied to a "car of the so-called general service type, in which the floor is of generally level floor construction and mainly composed of dumping doors hinged adjacent the longitudinal center of the car and opening downwardly to dischargelading to the sides of the track. g p

"In said drawings l0 indicates the center sill of 535 the car,'having,a flat coverplate H. Extending laterally from said center sill, on each side thereof, are a series of transversely extending bracket beams l2, preferably in the form of pan-shaped diaphragms which include a vertical webji'a and continuous marginal flanges M. Thediaphragms support transverse floor plates 15 and it respectively, which extend from side to side of the car. The plates '15 constitute the top cover plates of the body bolsters and the plates it are the top cover plates of the crossbeams; the former are somewhat wider than the-latter due to the fact that the bolsters make use of two diaphragms placed 'back-to-back, whereas the crossbeams utilize single diaphragms. The, floor plates are 1. in allvinstances preferably wider than the supporting members'in order to provide overhanging" portions, The respective-crossbeams and'bolsters are also united along their lower margins by bottom cover plates I1 and I8 respectively; The car is provided-with vertical side walls, each 'formed of a plate I9 and'top and bottom chords 2B and 2| respectively, the latter being preferably of 'Z-shape with the web '22 ,horiz ontally disposed and ,riestingo'n the topof the dia- .p'hragms l2. The fianges23 and z l of the chord 22 respectively overlie the side-wall plate and the diap'hragms l2, and areirivetedthereto. Furtherconnectionbetween the members 12 .andthe .side chord 2 2 is ,efiected-throug'hfthe medium of lower chord as indicated at 26.

gusset plates 25 which are secured to the ends of the members l2 and are preferably welded to the At each crossmember there is provided a vertical side stake 21, preferably of Z-shaped formation, and disposed with its web 28 outstanding from the car wall and lying substantially in alignment with the center of the crossmembers. The side stake is coped out as indicated at 29 to conform to the shape of the lower chord, and the parts are united by welding as indicated at 36 and 3|.

The ends of the car each include a vertical plate 32 reinforced at the top by a beam member 33 and at its lower margin on the outer side thereof by an end sill 3d, the latter being preferably a Z-shaped member similar to the lower side chord. On the inner side of the car end wall, at the lower margin thereof, there is a flat floor plate 35 disposed on the same level as the bolster and crossbeam floor plates.

Interposed between the various floor plates which extend transversely of the car are dumping doors 36 pivotally mounted adjacent the center sill of the car on hinge brackets 31 and extended outwardly towards the side of the car in underlying relation with respect to the transversely extending floor plates and lower side chord.

The doors are adapted to be operated by means of operating shafts 38 and self-locking linkage mechanisms 39 connecting the shafts and doors and adapted to raise the doors by rotation of the shaft and support the doors in both closed and open positions. Each shaft is adapted to operate a plurality of doors in unison and in this particular embodiment of my invention there are twelve doors in the floor of the car adapted to be operated in multiples of three doors each,

The operating shafts 38 extend through the side stakes of the car and are carried in bearings 40 and H, the former being secured to the stakes and the latter being disposed at the end of the car and serving as a carrying means for shaft locking means. The shafts are located outwardly of the load-carrying portion of the car and directly above the lower chord of the car side wall.

The linkage mechanisms 36 are located at the ends of the doors and out of the path of the discharging load. Inasmuch as the mechanisms are of similar construction, the description herein will be confined to only one of such mechanisms.

The mechanism 39 includes a hub member 42 non-rotatably mounted with respect to'the shaft, it being understood that the shafts are preferably formed of non-circular section and caused to rotate freely in their bearings by reason of having bushings 43 mounted on the shaft at each bearing. The hub is secured against lengthwise movement on the shaft by a pin or rivet 44. The hub is of polygonal shape and includes a plurality of bearing faces 45, 46, 41 and 48 respectively, on which link members 49, 50 and 5! are adapted to bear. The links 49 and 5| which constitute the end links of the winding connection are of substantially equal thickness and lie in a common plane of rotation.

The hub is formed with a pair of spaced integral jaws 5252 between which one endof end link 49 is extended, and said link and jaw are pivotally united by riveted pin 53. The other end link 5| constitutes the terminal link of the connection and is formed at one end with an upper hook-shaped portion 5 1 which bears on the seat 41 of the hub. The other end of the connection is extended downwardly through the car side and through the aligned fixed floor plates to a location below the floor level of the car for connection with the door in a manner to be hereinafter pointed out. The respective end links are sandwiched between a pair of spaced link members which constitute the intermediate link connection 50. The link means 56 include at each end integral ferrules 55 which form the pivots around which the end links flex, said ferrules operate to space the links and are formed with openings through which rivets 56 extend for uniting the parts.

The outer end of the hook-shaped terminal connection is formed concentrically as at 51 with respect to the pivotal axis of ferrule 55. Lying adjacent to the end of the said link, and. between the spaced links 56, is a projection 58 formed integrally with the hub, said projection being adapted to engage with the end of the terminal link in order to maintain the link members in definite relation to the hub in the event that any of the doors might bind and fail to open when the shaft'is rotated in an unwinding direction, such as sometimes occurs when the lading in the car is frozen. In the event of a door binding, the projection engages with the terminal link and functions as a pusher to compel movement of the link in the indicated direction (Fig. 3) with consequent forcing of the door to open position. The links 50 are each formed with an indented body portion 59 which straddles the hub when the doors are in closed position, and when the doors are in open position said indents straddle the lower chord of the car side, as indicated as 60 by the conventional dot and dash lines.

, Openings 6| are provided in the car sides for the accommodation of the mechanisms and said openings lie immediately above the lower chord of the car side and immediately adjacent the side stakes at the intermediate part of the car side wall. At the end of the car the openings are located immediately adjacent the end wall of the car. In certain instances the flanges of the side stakes are coped out as indicated at 62 and 63 (Fig. respectively to accommodate the mechanisms. Openings for the link mechanisms are also formed in the floor plates by means of cut-away portions 64 which have the effect of narrowing the fixed floor plates to a width corresponding substantially to the width of the members l2 which underlie the bolster and crossbeam top plates.

Disposed above the link mechanisms and covering the openings in the side walls and floor plates, there are provided housings A. These housings are disposed above the floor plates at the ends of the car and over each fixed floor plate at the crossbeams and bolsters and correspond substantially in width to the width of the said floor plates. The housings are preferably formed of box-shaped section with an upper load-shedding surface 65 and a wall plate 66 extending vertically lengthwise of the car and lying beyond the path of movement of the terminal link 5!. The plate 65 is welded to the car side at 61, and the plate 66 is welded to the associated floor plate at 68. The said respective plates 65 and 66 preferably correspond in width to the width of the floor plates and in efiect constitute extensions of said plates to engage with the side walls at an appreciable distance above the floor. The end walls of the housings consist of vertical plates 69 flanged at 10 to overlie the car side walls and riveted thereto at H. The plates 69 are connected with the remaining parts of the housing by welding as at 12, and also to the floor plates by a welded connection l3.

' In the case of the housings associated with the bolsters and-crossbeams, an additional wall 74 (Fig. 3) is provided which extends parallel to the end walls 69 and serves to divide the housing into two sections. This additional wall is disposed in alignment with the side stake web and the plateis riveted by its flange ill to the flange of the side stake and is also welded to the door plate as at 75, thereby obtaining a rigid construction to compensate for the weakness dueto openings in the side walls and floor plates.

In order to connect with the depending portion of the terminal links 5|, the doors 36 are.

formed of special construction; Each door is formed of a body portion consisting of a. plate 16 flanged around the marginal edges TI. underside of "the door is reinforced with beams 18 extending at right angles to the pivotal axis of the door from the hinged end towards the swinging edge. Adjacent theswinging'edge of the door and parallel thereto, there is provided a door beam 78 preferably of Z-shaped formation 'with its web 86 disposed at right angles to the main plane of the door and having one of its flanges 8| secured to the plate. The other flange 82 is spaced-an appreciable distance from the door plate. The beam 79 terminates adjacent the sides of the door and brackets 83 are secured to the ends of the beam and project beyond the side edges of the door to lie in the plane of the associated linkage of the operating mechanism. Each bracket 83 is preferably in the form of Ta casting having a vertical, web

. 8d riveted to the vertical web 80 l of the beam 8! adapted to receive a nut 92 on itsunder sid to bear against the ledge. Above the ledge, the eyebolt 9! is formed with a pair of jaws 83 which straddle the link member 5| and pivotally unite therewith through the medium of a pintle 9 3 which also extends through a slot 95 in the wall t'l. One of the jaws '93 of the eyebolt 9.! lies substantially in the plane of the flange ofthe door and in order to accommodate the said eyeboltportion the door flange is cut away at 96.

With the-door in closed position and the linkage mechanism in operative locking position, as.

shown in Fig. 3, the pivotal axis of pintle 94 lies to one side of the bottom chord and in a different vertical plane from the axis of the shaft, and in .'order to render the mechanism self-locking the respective parts ofthe mechanism and door are so disposed that a straight line 9? (Fig. 3) joining the pivotal axes of the terminal link 5| will lie slightly to oneside of the axis of the shaft, so that the weight of the door will lock the shaft against rotation in an unwinding direction. The strain on the upper pivotal connection of the hook-shaped link is partially relieved through the medium of bear- The p v acter described ing surface 41 which liessubstantially at right angles to the line, 91.

Rotation and locking of the shaft is effected from the end of the car and for this purpose the shaft is extended lengthwise for a limited distance beyond the end wall of the car and provided at said extended end with an operating ratchet wheel 98 with which is associated an oscillatably mounted lever-receiving socket 99. Z

The socket includes a pair of spaced vertical walls Hit-!? between which is mounted a pivotally movable pawl .Hll, whereby intermittent ratchet movement is permitted between the shaft .and lever socket for the purpose "of effecting rotation of the shaft in either direction. 1

The shaft is secured against unwinding movement during the raising operation of the doors by reason of the interengagement between a lldgcsking pawl I02 and a locking ratchet'wheel The pawl M32 is in turn secured against accidental disengagement from operative locking position by means of a pivotally mounted cam I 64 which is also mounted on'the bracket 4|. For the purpose of providing a suitable mounting base for the locking pawl and cam, the bracket it is provided with a plate portion lfltl which extends at-right angles to the car wall, and the pawl and cam are providedwith an overlying tie plate 106. The disposition of the mechanisms at the ends of the doors permits the concentration of the door links and shaft locking means in a small space near the corner of the car and permits the application of the side ladder I01 adjacent the car end and of the link mechanism.

With my improved construction .I amenabled to employ a self-locking linkage mechanism notwithstanding the fact that the lower chord of the car side isan obstruction to the-passage of the mechanism, and furthermore 'I am enabled to place 'the mechanisms at the ends of the doors where they are out of the path-of the discharging load position. inspection when jthe doors are in opened and maintenance, and due to the fact that the linkage mechanisms wind substan-.

tially in asingle plane of rotation, they are unusually compact and capable of being contained in .comparativeiysmallhousings.' i Y I claim:

the former being carried'on bracket 4| and the latterbeing fixedly mounted on the shaft.

yet out of the path- The mechanisms are accessible for '1. A railway load discharging car of the char- Y including acenter sill, side walls including a substantially vertical plate section and a lower marginal chord of appreciable width,

fixed floor sections extending transversely of the car between theside walls; dumping doorsdisposedintermediatethe fixed floor sections, said i doors being hingedly mounted adjacent the center sill; means for operating the doors including an operating shaft journaled outwardly of the.

car side plate section directly above the lower chord, and self-locking linkage mechanisms adapted to wind on the shaft and support the doors in open and closed positions, including terminal links adapted to extend abovethe lower chord and pivotal lyconnect with the door inwardly of the car wall .at one side of the chord, said terminal links of the respective doors extending at the sides of the door through openings formed in the fixed floor sections;'and housings disposed above the openings and corresponding substantially in width to the width of'the fixed floor sections, said links of the mechanisms being of the rigid type and pivotally united together and so related to each other and to the carstructure as to move without interference with any part of the car structure in any position of the doors.

a 2. A load discharging railway car of the character described, said car having a load-containing body portion including vertical side plate wall sections reinforced at the lower margin with an outstanding horizontal chord of appreciable width, said wall plates being also reinforced with vertical stakes having a vertical web lying substantially at right angles to the Vertical side wall plate, said car having a longitudinal center sill and transverse beam members, each formed with a comparatively narrow beam section and a relatively wider surmounting flat floor plate, each said floor plate adjacent the side wall of the car being formed with a cut-away portion on each side of the vertical beam to present a recess on each side of the floor plate; dumping doors located intermediate the floor plates and hinged at one end adjacent the center sill and adapted to have their swinging edge supported adjacent the car side wall; supporting means for the swinging edges of the doors, including shafts pivotally mounted in the side stakes, said shafts being disposed above the lower chord; and mechanisms connecting the shafts and doors and located at the sides of the doors, and each including a terminal link adapted to extend through the side wall plate and to one side of the chord and through one of the recesses provided by the cut-away portions of the fixed floor plates, to connect with the doors below the load contacting surface thereof in such a manner that a line passing through the axes of the terminal links will pass substantially through the axis of the shaft when the doors are in closed position.

3. In a car of the character described, having a load-containing body portion defined in part by side walls each formed of a plate section reinforced at its lower margin on the outer side thereof by a chord member of appreciable width, and a floor including a longitudinally extending center sill "top memberand comparatively narrow floor sections extending transversely of the car, and dumping doors intermediate the floor sections, said doors being hinged adjacent the center sill and having their swinging edges adjacent the side wall of the car, said floor sections adjacent the side Wall being formed with narrow end portions to present openings in the floor adjacent each side edge of each door; means for supporting the swinging edges of the doors, including operating shafts mounted above the lower chords and self-locking linkage mechanisms adapted to connect the shafts and doors, said linkage mechanisms being adapted to ex- 1 tend through the car side walls and through the openings in'the floor above the lower chord to connect with the doors below the level of the floor and below the level of the floor of the door; and housings extending above the mechanisms and floor openings, and adapted to be rigidly united with the floor sections and side walls and to function as brackets to brace the walls relatively to the floor.

l. A railway car of the character described, having a load-containing body portion including an upstanding wall and a floor including a longitudinally extending center sill top member and comparatively narrow floor plate sections extending transversely of the car, and dumping doors intermediate the floor plates, said doors being hinged adjacent the center sill and adapted to be supported adjacent their swinging edges, said wall plate being reinforced on its outer side by vertical stakes disposed in alignment with the floor plates, each side stake having an outstanding web centrally disposed with respect to the floor plate; means for supporting the doors including operating shafts mounted in the side stakes and self-locking linkage mechanisms connecting the shafts and doors, said linkage mechanism being extended in the plane of the loadcontaining body portion and through the car side wall and floor for connection with the door at a level below the level of the floor of the car, said wall and floor having openings therein for the passage of the mechanisms; and housings adapted to extend over the openings in the wall and floor and house the mechanisms, said housing including vertical wall plates extending transversely of the car and substantially in alignment with the respective edges of the floor plate and another wall plate disposed substantially in alignment with the web of the associated stake and adapted to divide the housing in two sections, said transverse plates being secured to the wall and floor plates respectively, and constituting brackets adapted to brace the fioor and wall together.

5. In a railway car having a wall and a lower chord extending laterally from said wall; a dumping door adapted -to extend beneath the lower chord when said door is in closed position; a door-operating and supporting shaft mounted above the chord; and a connection extending between the shaft and the door, said connection including a series of rigid links pivotally united and a hook-shaped terminal link pivotally attached to the door at its lower portion at a location to one side of the chord, said terminal link having its upper pivotal axis of attachment with the other links so disposed that when the door is in closed position a straight line extending through the lower and upper pivotal axes of the link will intersect the plane of the car side wall and pass above the lower chord to one side of the axis of rotation of the shaft whereby the weight of the door will lock the shaft against rotation in an unwinding direction, said winding mechanism being also adapted to support the doors in opened position and said links of the mechanism being so related to each other and to the car structure as to enable the mechanism to move clear of the car structure in any position of the mechanism. 1

ARGYLE CAMPBELL. 

